2024 Vermont Statewide Housing Conference Speaker

Ari Kisler has served as the Community Services Director for Vermont Office of Economic Opportunity since 2021. In her role she manages the Housing Opportunity Grant Program (HOP) and the Continuum of Care Coordinated Entry Grant (CE), which provide over $40 million in funding to community-based service providers working within the homeless response system. Grants support a wide array of activities including emergency shelter, homelessness prevention, rapid re-housing, and client-based financial assistance. Ari is the Agency of Human Services’ board representative on the Vermont Balance of State (BoS) Continuum of Care and serves as Chair for the BoS’s CE Committee. In this role she provides training and technical assistance to providers engaged with the CE system and supports system-level policy development. Prior to joining the State of Vermont, Ari was the Assistant Director of the Vermont Coalition of Runaway and Homeless Youth Programs (VCRHYP) where she supported youth service organizations around the state. She also has previous experience working with homeless youth in a transitional living program, serving on the Central Vermont Habitat for Humanity Board of Directors, and participating in a variety of LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations. Ari holds an undergraduate degree from Springfield College in Human Services with a concentration in Substance Use Disorder Counseling and a Master’s degree from Michigan State University in Youth Development.